Slide fastener



Dec. 16, 1952 2,621,387

H. L'. WILLIAMS SLIDE FASTENER Filed Feb. l, 1946 4 Shggts-sneet 1INV/mm1; Harz/ey L. Wzllzams By ATTOI? EYS Dec. 116, 1952 H. L. WILLIAMS'2,621,387

SLIDE FASTENER Filed Feb. 1, l1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 6.3 Harvey/L.Wz'ZZz'dms @.MMMW

AT TOKNEYS Dec. 16, 1952 Filed Feb. l, 1946 Eik 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 48 m G6INVENTOR. E /Yd/wfy. Wz'ZZz'amS ATTORNEYS lWfl- 1.4

E1 INVENTOR.

16, 1952 H. L. WILLIAMS 2,621,387

SLIDE FASTENER Filed Feb. l, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Harvey/L. Wzl/mmsATTORN YS Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLIDEFASTENER Harvey L. Williams, New York, N. Y. Application February 1,1946, Serial No.' 644,704)- 2 Claims. 4((31. 24-2ii5.15)

This invention relates to a new type of slider and end stop for use onslide fasteners or zippers.

One object of this invention is to provide slide fasteners capable of'being locked. To this end the invention provides a novel type of sliderand end stop, which may be secured slider to sliderv or slider to endstop.

Another object of the invention is to provide for more complete closingof slide fasteners.

Another object of the invention is to provide for holding slidefasteners in open or closed position so as to avoid accidental closingor opening.

Other objects as well as numerous advantages of the invention will beapplied by those skilled in the art from the following specification andthe accompanying drawings.

Although in this specication and the accompanying drawings I have shownand described preferred embodiments of the invention and suggestedVarious alternatives and modications, it should be understood that theseare not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the invention but onthe contrary are given for purposes of explaining the invention andprinciples thereof and the best manner of applying the invention topractical use so that others sleilled in the art may be enabled tomodify and adapt the invention and to apply it in numerous forms each asmay be best adapted to the conditions of a particualr use.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a view in side elevation of a slider;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same;

Figure 3 is a View in side elevation, showing f two sliders, similar tothose of Figures 1 and 2, brought together ready for locking;

Figure 4 is a plan view of the saine;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, showing an improved form ofslider;

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the left-hand slider taken on line S- ofFigure 5 looking downward;

Figure 7 is a section also taken on line 5 6 but showing the right-landslider looking downward on Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a View in front elevation of the same;

Figure 9 is a plan view, showing the slider of Figures 1 and 2 inposition to be looked to an endstop;

Figure 10 is a View in side elevation of the endstop of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary plan view similar to Figure 9, showing animproved form of endstop;

Figures 12 and 13 are plan views corresponding to Figures 4 and 11,respectively, of modied forms Figures 19 and 20 are'views-sirnilar toFigure- 18, but showing modied bails;

Figures 21 and 22 are fragmentary views showing, respectively, portionsof pulls attached to the bails of Figures 19 and 20;

Figure 23 is a plan View of two sliders adapted to be locked together inan approaching relation;

Figure 2li is a View similar to Figure 23 of latching sliders in anapproaching relation;

Figure 25 is a plan view, showing the sliders of Y Figure 24 in latchedrelation;

Figure 25 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 25 of a modiiedstructure;

.Figures 27 and 28 are views in elevation and plan, respectively, ofsliders adapted to be locked in an open position;

Figure 29 is a View in side elevation of a slider adapted to be lockedin either open or closed position:

Figurei is' a fragmentary View inside elevation of Cooperatingsliders'adapted to be brought together for locking by a link as shown,for example, in Figures 31, 32, 33, and 34 and Figures 31-34 show,respectively, in side elevation, end elevation, plan and perspective, alink adapted to be used in connection with Figure 30.

The simplest form of this type of slider is shown in Figures 1 and 2. Ona conventional slider body I is mounted to one side of the center line 2a bail 3. In this type a hole 4 is located in the bail 3 so that itsvertical center line 5 approximately coincides with the vertical face 6of the nose of the slider.

If two sliders of the designdescribed above are mounted on a singlepiece of slide fastener chain and the two sliders are then broughttogether in the closed position indicated in Figures 3 and 4, therelationship of the bail 3 of one slider to that of the bail 3 of theother slider will be such that a bolt, pin, padlock, or other securingdevice may be inserted through the holes li' in each slider,` therebypreventing them` from' being moved apart until suchv securing? deviceis: istremoved;

It is to be noted that the center line 2 is also the pitch line of theslide fastener, or in other words the center line running longitudinallyalong the slide fastener when closed.

It is to be noted that the space 1 between the bails of the respectivesliders may be made as snug or loose fitting as required for theparticular purpose to which the sliders are intended. In a variation ofthis slider subsequently described, there is no clearance between thesurface of the bails adjacent to the center lines of the sliders.

It is to be noted that the shape of the slider body I as shown inFigures 1 to 4 reflects conventional design for slide fastener slidersin that the nose is usually rounded. Figure shows a modication ofconventional slider body design invented for the purpose of securinggreater contact between the noses of the sliders and to close the smallapertures in the angles between the noses of conventional sliders asindicated at 8 in Figure 4.

I have also found that a particularly tight seal can be secured alongthe line 9, Figure 5, of the front faces of the two sliders for theslider noses as they are caled conventionally in the language of theslide fastener industry) if they are formed to interroesh one with theother. A tvoical arrangement of this sort is shown in Figures 6 8 inwhich the front faces III and II of the too plane I2 and the bottomplane I3 of a slider are formed to provide intermeshing tongues andgrooves with the same design on the front faces of an identical slider.The groove in the right half of too plane I2 and bottom plane I3 isindicated by I4 and I5. The tongue in the left half of top plane I2 andbottom plane I3 is indicated by I6 and I1. Obviously if two such frontfaces are abutted against each other as shown in Figure 5. the grooveson the right hand side of the front face of one slider will receive thetongues on the left side of the front face of the other slider, therebyproviding a seal along line 9.

My invention is useful not only for locking together two sliders, butalso for locking a slider to an end stop. A simple form of such slidersimilar to those shown in Figures 1 and 2 is shown in Figures 9 and l0in use with an end stop. In this arrangement plate I8 is secured to thefabric or other material in which the slide fastener is mounted at tbetop end of the slide fastener so that when slider I is moved along theslide fastener chain to the end thereof. with the fastener fully closed,the bail 3 of the slider will be in the same position relative to thebail I9 attached to plate I8 as exists between the two bails 3 of thetwo similar sliders shown in Figures 3 and 4.

In Figures 9 and 10 plate I8 is rectangular in plan with four holes 2Bfor attaching to the fabric or other material with which the slidefastener is used. The shape of plate Id, however, is not essential. Itmight be semicircular or any other convenient shape.

It is also claimed as part of this invention that the shape of the frontface 2I of plate I8 might be made of a shape to conform with the frontface or nose of the slider. This is shown in Figure 11 where the frontface is designated by 22 and is curved to fit the nose of the slider.

An added feature of this invention is the possibility of utilizinginter-meshing members 2 and I8 for example, by the same arrangement oftongues and grooves, I4 and IB in the slider and corresponding groovesand tongues in the front face of plate I3 as are indicated on the frontface of the slider in Figures 6 8.

In a more complex form of this invention several balls of the type shownat 3 in Figures 1-4 can be attached to the top plane of a conventionalslider so that they would intermesh as shown in Figure 12. This figureshows two slider bodies I, similar to those shown in Figures 3 and 4upon each of which is mounted two bails 23. In side elevation theinter-meshing of these will appear as does the side elevation in Figures3 and 4 the hole 24 in each bail being aligned with the hole in eachother bail when the sliders are in contact or nearly so along line 25.

While the sliders in Figure 12 are shown with two bails each, a similararrangement would be possible with two or more bails on each slidersymmetrically arranged as indicated. It is desirable, although notessential that these sliders should be identical as shown.

It is evident that plate I8 may likewise be modified so that bail I9 isreplaced by two bails which would interrnesh with the two bails on theslider shown in Figure 12. Since the end stop is not identical with thebail in other respects, it is sometimes advantageous to have on it moreor fewer balls. Thus the end stop may have one more bail on it than theslider as illustrated in Figure 13. Should the slider have two balls,the end stop would have three balls, or might be made with a single bailinter-meshing with these on the slider. In this ligure the bailsattached to the end stop are designated by 26 and the plate to whichbails 2% are attached are designated by 2l.

The profile shape of the bail is not material to the inter-meshingsecured between bails on two sliders or the bail on a slider and on anend stop. This is illustrated in Figures 14-16. Likewise, the shape orsize of hole pierced through the bail is immaterial, providing only thatit accommodates the bolt, pin, padlock or other securing device insertedto hold two sliders or a slider and an end stop from coming apart.First, they are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slider and ofthe slide fastener. Second, in addition to the functions describedabove, the bail is positioned to provide a handle by which the slidercan be moved along the slide fastener chain.

By placing the bail at a slight angle to the longitudinal center line ofthe slider a wedging action is created when two sliders of identicaldesign are brought together, nose to nose, or when a slider is broughttogether with an end stop having a bail at a like angle with the bail ofthe slider. This is illustrated in Figure 23.

Referring to Figure 23 it will be noted that on each slider body I ismounted a bail 30 at an angle with the center line 2. The vertical planethrough the longitudinal center line of the slider at the point wherethis center line intersects the line forming the contour of the nose ofthe slider at points 28 and 23, are at the contacting faces of the bailsor even within the thickness of, or slightly beyond, the bails. Thuswhen the sliders are pushed completely together, the faces of two hailswill be in contact with each other and the two surfaces 3l will bepressed closely to each other. The two holes 32 will be aligned witheach other also- A similar action will take place if the bail on an endstop plate I8 in Figures 9 and 10 or 21 in Figure 13 is mounted at thesame angle as the bail on the slider. The hails thus far described inthe application require a pin, bolt, padlock or other device to beinserted into the aligned holes in the overlapped bails. Another featureof the invention provides for automatically locking two sliders togetherafter they have been pushed into contact with each or locking slider toan end plate.

By this feature of the invention the bails are formed with latchingmeans so that the two sliders or the slider and end stop may not beseparated from each other by a single force or motion parallel to thelength of the slide fastener. In other words it is necessary to apply tothe slider or to the end stop or to both sideways, twisting or otherforce in addition to a force or motion parallel to the length of theslide fastener.

In detail there are many ways in which this securing of one slider toanother or of a slider to an end stop may be effected. The methodsdivide themselves into two classifications. First, is the type of designor device which utilizes the sideways play of the slide on the chain ofthe slide fastener. This play is a rotational movement in a planeparallel to the top and bottom planes of the slider about a pointapproximately on the longitudinal center line of the slider and nearerto its small or throat end than to its nose or mouth end. Such anarrangement is illustrated in Figure 24 in a position where the slidersare approaching each other. Such a device is illustrated in Figure 25after the sliders have been brought in contact with each other and thebails have been locked together.

Referring to Figures 24 and 25 the slider bodies are indicated by l uponwhich bails 33 are mounted. The nose of each bail '34 and 45 is bevelledso that as the bails approach each other, the one to the right will bedeiiected angularly in the direction indicated by arrow 42 and the oneto the left will be deflected angularly in the direction indicated byarrow 43. These rotational movements of the sliders are around centersof rotation assumed to be at points il@ and t5. The angular deiiectionfrom center line 2 may be measured as the angle between the center lineand a line drawn between point 44 and point 35 on the right hand sliderand between point 45 and point 35 on the left hand slider. The end ofeach bail is formed like a hook on adjacent surfaces 33 and. 39. Notches3G and 3l' are cut to receive hook or point 35 and 3 respectively. Inthe closed position holes 5 and di align themselves so that a sideelevation of these bails would be similar to the side elevation shown inFigure 3. As drawn in Figures 24 and 25 faces t8 and i9 of hooks 35 and35 are perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the slider. Withsuch a design a simle twisting movement will disengage the bails andpermit the sliders to be separated by a force parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the slider. If faces 133 and 49 should be at anangle of less than 90 with surfaces 38 and 3S, as shown in Figure 26, itwould be necessary to move the sliders slightly toward each other aswell as to impart a twisting movement before the sliders could bedisengaged by a force parallel to the longitudinal axis of the sliderand the slide fastener. It is evident that the form of notch 36 andnotch 37 must coincide with the form of hook 34 and 35. It is alsoevident that hook 34 and hook 35 might be formed by acombination ofstraight and curved surfaces or by a combination of two or more curvedsurfaces without straight surfaces so long as the effect of inserting acatch into a socket or a hook into a receivingr indentation is used.

It will be noted that in Figures 24-26 a bail mounted parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the slider is shown. Such an arrangement would beequally applicable to a bail mounted at a slight angle from thelongitudinal axis of the slider as indicated in Figure 23.

Obviously one of the two bails shown in Figures 24-26 could be mountedon an end stop plate such as shown in Figures 9-11 or 13. No sketch hasbeen made showing this arrangement working between a slider and an endstop because of the similarity of action between two sliders asillustrated.

Another arrangement for interlocking the bails of the slider is shown inFigures 17 and 18. Here bails 50 and 5| are mounted on slider bodies ofconventional sort. Bail 50 is pierced by hole 54 and on the end of ithas a stud 52. Bail 5I is pierced by hole 55 and on it has a stud 53.Figure 18 shows bail 50 and indicates the position of stud 52, hole 54and the indentation 53A made to receive stud 53. A similar indentationis 1ocated in bail 5I to receive stud 52.

In Figure 17 it will be noted that the right hand slider is deflected asindicated by arrow 56, and the left hand slider is deflected asindicated by arrow 5l, so that there is a substantial angulardisplacement of the center line on each slider from the center line ofthe slide fastener itself. For the purpose of illustration this angulardisplacement is exaggerated over that which would be used in an actualslide fastener. As this figure indicates, if bails 50 and 5| are so'located that the maximum angular displacement of the slider is securedas stud 52 slides past stud 53 when the sliders approach each other, thestuds will fall into the respective indentations provided to receivethem, and will be held there by the tendency of the fastener chain toreturn to its straight condition unless they are disengaged by atwisting motion and a simultaneous motion or force parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the slide fastener.

A similar arrangement may be obtained by fastening to the bail a smallflat spring so bent that it would engage a recess in the opposing bailwhen the sliders are brought together, thus forming a spring latch.

It will be noted that the holes 54 and 55 align with each other, therebymaking it possible to insert a padlock or other device to secure thesliders together. These holes may be omitted when the latching means areused.

It will be noticed that the shape of the bail so far as its profile inelevation is concerned is not material to the action of the stud andrecess.

It is to be further noted that in all of the arrangements discussedabove the addition of a metal, leather or webbing pull is possible bypiercing the bail or otherwise providing for the attachment of such apull. Two arrangements of this sort are shown in Figures 19-22. Theinclusion of a pull or handle as indicated in Figures 19 and 20 meansthat the bail itself need not be used as a handle to actuate the sliderwhen moving it along the slide fastener chain. This pull may also be apadlock 9i? on a chain 9|, the padlock being inserted through holes 54,6l, etc. when they are brought into alignment.y Also the pull may beslotted and the hails formed so that it can be pressed down over bothbails when they are brought together and thus latch them together. Thisis shown in Figure 20, wherein pull 63 is shown engaged over both bailsof cooperating sliders. If further locking is desired a. 'pin or padlockmay be inserted through the aligned holes as described in connectionwith other figures;

In Figure 19 bail 85 is pierced by hole 86 and slot El'. In slot S1 isintroduced link 53, to which is attached pull 59. If the slider is beingpulled to the right, to open the slide fastener, pull 59 and link Bwould be in the position shown in the sketch. If the slider was beingpulled to the left, to close the slide fastener, pull 59 and link 58would be at the left hand end of slot 87.

In Figure 2O bail 6B is pierced by hole Si and hole $2. In hole 52 ismounted metal tab pull 63. If the slider is being pulled to the right toopen the slide fastener, pull t3 would be in approximately the positionshown. If the slider was being pulled to the left to close the slidefastener', pull 63 would be in approximately the position shown by 63h.When the fastener is closed with the bails in overlapping position thebail 63 is moved to position 63e in which it engages the overlappingbail of the cooperating slider or end plate.

It is evident that the exact location, length and dimensions of slot e?and the exact location or size of hole 52 or slot $8 are not essentialto the broad invention. Many variations of the position, shape and sizeof slot 3l or hole E2 or slot B8 might be used on various sliders. As isevin dent from Figures iii-22, the customary pulls used in the slidefastener industry may be used with sliders having hails in which theinvention outlined herein are employed.

Figures 27 and 28 illustrate that the type of bail heretofore describedmay be applied to the -throat end l! or lil of a slider, instead of thenose end l2 or '53. Bail te pierced by hole 5S is mounted on slider 55,extending over the throat end I8. Bail 68 pierced by hole SE is mountedon slider El extending over the throat end "il, Holes and 9 alignthemselves permitting the sliders to be secured in this position as theywere in Figures 3 and l where the balls extend over the nose of theslider.

In a similar manner the arrangement of Figure 5 is also applicable tothe adjacent faces of throat ends as at le and 'il in Figures 27 and 28;and the arrangement of Figures 9-11 are also applicable if throat endlll is placed in contact with end stop plate I8 or 2z.

Likewise, the arrangement of Figures 12 and 13 are applicable to ballsextending over the throat end of the slider. Similarly the arrangementsshown in Figures 23-26 are applicable to the throat end; and thearrangements shown in Figures 17-422 and 26 are also equally applicablewhen the bail extends over the throat end of the slider as shown inFigures 27 and 28.

In Figure 29 is shown a slider with a bail which will align with anidentical slider regardless of whether its nose end or its throat end isbrought in contact with the other slider. Obviously this double endedarrangement could be accompanied by a tongue and grooved nose end orthroat end (see Figures 6 8); either its nose end or throat end could beused with an end stop such as shown in Figures 9-13; the shape of theprofile of the bail in elevation is immaterial as indicated in Figures14-16; multiple hails could be used regardless of whether this sliderwas mated with another of identical design at the nose end or throatend, as indicated in Figures 12 and 13; locking devices such assuggested in Figures 24-26 and discussed in the above text relatingthereto, could be applied to either or both ends of the slider l'showninFigureZS; studs and recesses or separately attached springs andrecesses could be used on either the throat end or the nose end of thebail shown in Figure 29 as suggested in Fgures 17 and 18 and in the textabove relating thereto; the bail shown in Figure 29 may be slotted ormay be pierced with an auxiliary hole so that a pull link or a metal tabpull can be added to the slider as shown in Figures 19-22, the profileof the bail of the slider being adapted to give the desired location,and length or size to the slot or hole.

In Figure 29 slider 'M has mounted upon it bail 'i5 which is pierced byhole 'I6 at throat end 19 and by hole TI at nose end 18. It is evidentthat if two sliders of identical design were brought together, the twoholes over the nose end would align as indicated in Figure 3 or if thethroat ends were brought together the two holes indicated by 16 wouldalign as shown in Figure 28.

The usefulness of the slider of my invention is not conned to thepossibility of abutting two sliders of identical design nose end to noseend, or throat end to throat end, or nose end to end stop, or throat endto end stop for the purpose of securing one slider to another slider orone slider to the end stop, through the aligning holes.

Many other uses suggest themselves, of which the following are examples:

In a sail cover used on the boom extending aft well beyond the transomof the boat, the sail cover is commonly put in position and secured froma dinghy. If a slide fastener embodying my invention is used runningalong the bottom of the sail cover with the slider at the extreme outerend of the boom when the cover is closed, a light line may be attachedto bail 64 through hole B5 and the other end of the line taken along theboom inboard to a convenient place on the boat. To remove the sailcover, the slide fastener is opened by pulling slider 66 back from theend of the boom to a point where it may be reached from within the boatby pulling on such a line.

As a second example, a reproof curtain in the passageway of a ship oraircraft may be split vertically up the middle but secured to the wallsand ceiling of the passageway at its outer edges and top. In the centersplit of such a curtain a slide fastener may be mounted. When this slidefastener is open, the slider would be at the top of the slit or near theceiling of the passageway. Above the slide fastener at the extreme topof the slit or near the ceiling of the passageway. shown in Figures 9and 10. W'hen the fastener is completely open, a slider of the typeshown in Figures 27 and 28 would be at the extreme top of the slidefastener with hole S5 aligning with the hole in bail I9 of end stop i8.The securing pin inserted between the aligning holes of the end stop andthe slider is made of a fusible alloy which melts at extremely lowtemperatures, such as Woods metal or Lipowitz alloy or any alloy used toset off sprinkler systems. Should fire sweep through the passageway inwhich such a curtain is located, the pin securing the slider to the endstop melts. By hanging a weight on the slider the slider closesautomatically as soon as the pin is softened so as to release the sliderand weight and thereby close the iireproof curtain across thepassageway. Slide fasteners of the type which would be thus used may beclosed with a pull of from 11/2 to 3 lbs.

It is also to be noted that the openings pierced through the bails shownin Figures 1-29 inclusive need not be circles as shown. This hole may bein the form of a slot through which a key may be'inserted as-illustrated in Figures 30-34. When such key is turned 90 it continuesto hold the two sliders, or the slider and end stop, together until itis turned back to a matching position and drawn through the alignedslots.

What I claim is:

l. A slide fastener having a slider provided with a bail positionedclose to its center line and a handle for operating the sliderpositioned on its same side as the bail, a cooperating bail secured atthe end of an opening controlled by said slider and adapted closely tooverlap the bail on said slider, said bails being adapted to be securedtogether in said overlapping relation, the slide fastener being of thetwo-way type and the two said bails being on identical sliders,saidsliders having complementary intertting planes adapted to close thegap in the slide fastener chain between the sliders when the sliders aresecured together with their bails in overlapping relation.

2. A slide fastener having opposed sliders on a continuous fastenerchain at least one of the planes in both the sliders havingcomplementary intertting contours, whereby they close the gap in theslide fastener chain when they are brought together.

HARVEY L. WILLIAMS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille ofthis patent:

